


The Only Line that is True

by raediation



Category: Snow White with the Red Hair, 赤髪の白雪姫 | Akagami no Shirayukihime
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-24 03:09:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8354551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raediation/pseuds/raediation
Summary: Shirayuki has been studying herbology since she could read, but making teas and essential oils at her barista job can only get her so far. When the mayor's son tries to make her another one of his many scandals, she might just be lead to something unexpectedly good... Pharmacy school at Wistal University!(tag says "modern AU", but it's more like the 90s b/c there would be no conflict if everyone had a cellphone)





	

~Prolog~

In the small city of Tanbarun sat a coffee shop, the Autumn Drizzle. It got a lot of foot traffic sense it was across the street from Shenazard park and was famous for it’s tea garden patio, but what really drew in customers was it’s star barista, Shirayuki. She was a lovely girl with rare red hair and a wealth of knowledge about herbal teas and essential oils.  
When she brewed coffee and mixed tea leaves together, she was in her element. To watch her at work was to watch a dance. She put on a kettle to boil, turned to make a foam heart in a latte, then she swept out from behind the counter with drinks and pastries balance on her arms to be dropped off to their respective tables. Once she returned to the counter she’d assist an old woman with her order of herbal tea leaves and peppermint oil for her back pain.  
Shirayuki loved her job despite the entitled customers and men who would flirt with her. It came with the territory and her apple red hair didn't help matters. It always caught people's attention and made it very easy to start a conversation. It was both a blessing and a curse. 

~~

For the last week, a particularly forward customer had made a point to come in every day. He would enter the shop in a flourish, like it was a grand event and he was the main attraction, then strode to the counter. The first day Shirayuki hadn't taken notice of him. Her messy bun bobbed as she restocked the apothecary behind the counter with tea leaves. "Excuse me, gorgeous." he said.  
Shirayuki stiffened and turned to face him with a raised eyebrow. When she saw it was a customer she tried to recover with a polite smile, "Sorry to keep you waiting, what can I get for you?" The young man had styled brown hair, a mole under his eye, and was a smart dresser. If she had passed him on the street Shirayuki might have, for a moment, thought him cute, but it was all ruined the second he opened his mouth.  
"It's fine, I was enjoying the view." He said to her body. Shirayuki blinked, not quite sure how to respond to that compliment. Unfortunately, he continued, "You are seriously gorgeous though,” His eyes finally moved above her neck, “and your hair is perfect, you don't see that color everyday."  
"Thank you," said Shirayuki through gritted teeth. "Today's specials-"  
"I'll take ginger tea for here." he said with a wink. It took all of Shirayuki's will power not to roll her eyes into the back of her skull as she turned to pour his drink.  
When she returned with the mug he held out his hand, "I'm Raj, by the way." Shirayuki looked at his outstretched hand for a moment then set the tea on it. Confusion flashed across his face, but recovered with a thank you like the tea was what he had wanted from the beginning. She told him his total and he took a seat at the table closest to the counter where, for the rest of the day and every day to follow, he would incessantly talk at Shirayuki. There was nothing she could do but smile and pretend to listen while she worked.  
He had this awful quality where he only talked about himself and never bothered to ask Shirayuki a single question about herself. She was glad he didn’t, but it made each one sided conversation tedious. He also may have, not so suddlely, mentioned that he was Mayor Shenazard’s son several times. Everyday, Shirayuki kept watch of the clock and prayed six would come soon so she could finally ask him to leave.  
In a few minutes the weekend would begin and she’d finally get a break from Raj. Raj, however, had gone on to brag about all the parties he was invited to for the next month, then he mentioned, "you should come with me to the next one."  
Shirayuki couldn't quite find the words to express how much she did not want to do that. "You don't want me to go with you, I'd just be embarrassing."  
Raj shook his finger at her, "Don't sell yourself short. On my arm, you'd be the center of attention."  
Shirayuki tried to ignore the back handedness of that statement and replied flatly, "Thanks, but no." and turned her attention back down to the dishes in the sink. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Shirayuki whirled around to see Raj behind the counter and standing over her. Her eyes darted around the room, all the patrons had left. She was alone with him.  
"I really think you should accept my offer." He whispered into Shirayuki's ear, her blood ran cold, "Those who tells me 'no' usually end up very unhappy." Shirayuki was frozen in place, until the grandfather clock chimed six O’clock and snapped her out of it.  
"You need to leave." She said clear and coldly. She slid out from between him and the sink and watched as he casually stepped out from behind the counter and walked to the door.  
“Be careful walking home at night, gorgeous.” he glanced over his shoulder, “See you around."  
With that, he left. Shirayuki fell against the counter and breathed for a minute then rushed to the door and locked it.

It was a little after seven when she finally wrapped up her closing duties. The late winter month meant it was already dark when she stepped outside. She locked the shop, pulled her jacket close around herself, and began her walk home.  
Shirayuki walked everywhere. The short cut through the woods from town to her house made for an easy excuse, but the truth was that she never learned to drive. Since there was never a need Shirayuki figured she would wait to get a licence when she turned eighteen. Eighteen, however, turned out to be a hectic year so, long story short, she was twenty one and still didn’t have a licence.  
Half way through the woods, she heard a group of people approach from behind. It was unusual to see anyone on this path, let alone a group, but Shirayuki just picked up her pace. Soon, though, they were right behind her. It was a group of boys about her age and as soon as they saw her they began to shout and catcall her. She tried to walk faster and ignore them, but they quickly surrounded her. They continued their barrage, some even whistled directly into her ear. "Please let me through." She said sternly. Their thick shoulders shook with laughter. A meaty hand grabbed at her arm, she pulled away only to run into a chest. Someone pulled at her hair and she cried out.  
Suddenly a voice spoke, "What'd you find, boys?" The taunts silenced and everyone withdrew from Shirayuki. Raj stepped through wall of men to see Shirayuki in the center. He looked her up and down, obviously amused. "Long time no see, gorgeous." His cronies laughed. "Forgive the guys, they were just having a little fun."  
"Yeah, it was a riot," said Shirayuki, deadpan. The cronies oh'd and patronizingly cheered for her. "Please, let me through," she repeated.  
"Come now, we're all just trying to have a good time." He got very close to Shirayuki and moved his arms like he might try to grab her. Before he got the chance, Shirayuki found a small break between the men that surrounded her and shoved through.  
She plunged herself into the forest. She darted around trees and ducked under most of the tree branches that hung low. She heard them call out behind her and adrenaline fueled her to run faster. Soon it was like she wore a blinder and she could only see straight ahead. The cold wind burned her face as she ran and made breathing hard. The uneven forest floor threatened to trip her up, but miraculously she stayed on her feet. She strained to see past the dark shadows of trees that blurred by when, far off, lights broke through the trees.  
As she got closer Shirayuki could see they belonged to a house. She had hoped this somehow meant she was near her neighborhood, but as she approached she saw that the house stood alone and had an expanse of black behind it. “Lake Suris”, Shirayuki thought. It was a lake on the town line mostly surrounded by wealthy families’ vacation homes. Shirayuki wondered for a moment why a lake house would be lit during the off season, but she pushed it aside in favor of seeking shelter from Raj.  
She broke out of the creep-infested woods, ran across the house’s yard, and up the front porch steps. She banged her fist against the door and looked over sher shoulder. It was quiet, no one seemed to be about to run out from the tree line.  
Finally, she was able to catch her breath. That’s when she noticed the Greek letters above the door.  
“A frat…” Thought Shirayuki, “Great, because I needed more men.”  
To her surprise, a young blonde woman opened the door. She looked Shirayuki up and down with a blank expression. When she finished, she only scrunched her eyebrows together out of some sort of concern.  
Shirayuki knew she probably had leaves in her hair and scratches across her face. Before she could explain her appearance a worried male voice called from inside, "Kiki, you shouldn't answer the door alone at night."  
The woman’s face became neutral again and she glanced over her shoulder, "It's not even eight," she said dryly. She let the door swing open to reveal Shirayuki to a tall green haired man inside, "Besides, it's just some girl."  
They were all quiet for a moment before Shirayuki realized it was finally her turn to explain herself, but when she thought about what she would say, she felt embarrassed. Maybe she’d overreacted. Maybe it would be better if she just turned heel and walked herself home.  
"Actually, I have the wrong house, sorry about that.” She nervously took a step back. Suddenly, a young man swung down from the balcony above. The same moment she heard the thud of his feet hitting the deck, she backed into him. She jumped at the sudden contact reeled around to see a young man with white hair and blue eyes who stood between her and the porch steps.  
"The wrong house? What other houses are in the middle of the forest? Did you see any, Kiki? Mitsuhide?" The two in the house snickered.  
"No, it's not that,” said Shirayuki. She pushed her back against the wooden railing and slid around the white haired man, giving him as wide a breadth as possible. “I'm just trying to get home."  
He raised an eyebrow and smirked, "I'm trying to understand, did you mistake our lake house for your home?" Shirayuki narrowed her eyes at him. He responded with a smug smile, he wasn’t letting her off with a tactful excuse, he wanted the truth of the situation out of her. Too bad she wasn’t about to tell a stranger all her troubles. She turned away from him and continued her glower as she walked across the yard.  
"Do you want to use our phone?" The white haired man called after her.  
Shirayuki stopped and looked at the dark forest ahead. It loomed over her. “Those guys might still be out there,” she thought, “be smart about this.”

The house was old, but maintained. From the photos on the walls Shirayuki deduced that it had belonged to same fraternity since the early twentieth century. She stood in the tiny kitchen with all new appliances where she held a landline phone to her ear. She twisted the cord between her fingers as it rang and rang, then it went to the answering machine.  
"Hey, dad? If you're there, pick up... Okay, I'm running a bit late, it's seven fifty five right now, I should be home before eight thirty. See you then. Bye." Shirayuki hung up and stood with her hand still on the receiver for a moment. She’d only lived with her dad for the last couple years and, while they cared for each other, neither of them were inclined to ask the other for help. She imagined him out drinking with his vet buddies, he probably wouldn’t be back until after midnight. If she got home before him she’d delete her message from the machine. If she didn’t make it home...  
Shirayuki walked into the living room where the blonde and the green haired man played chess on a coffee table while the white haired guy watched from the couch. When he saw that Shirayuki entered the room, he stood, “Did you make your call?”  
“Yeah, I called my dad. Thanks for letting me use the phone.”  
“No problem,” he put his hand to his chest, “I'm Zen, by the way,” he motioned to the chess players, “that's Kiki and Mitsuhide.”  
“I'm Shirayuki. Sorry, but I've never seen you guys around before.”  
“Makes sense, we go to school in Clarines.” Clarines was the next town over and that meant they went to the university. The elite private school, Wistal University. Zen went on, “This house belongs to Mitsuhide and my’s fraternity, but we don’t come out here often, we don't usually go into town either. It's more of a quit hangout for the officers when it’s not springbreak. That's actually why we're here, to plan for the next semester.”  
“We've mostly just been on vacation,” Kiki synopsized.  
“By the way, Mr. President,” said Mitsuhide, “we will need to do some actual planning while we're here. We’re talking: booths, fundraisers, new pledges-”  
Zen’s laugh interrupted him, “We will, but I'm telling you, all my best ideas are spur of the moment. And that, Mitsuhide, is why you're just the secretary.” Mitsuhide opened his mouth to respond, but Kiki suddenly moved a chess piece across the board and pulled his attention back to the game. Zen watched Mitsuhide, waiting for him to continue, but his mind was obviously occupied with what his counter move should be.  
Zen looked back to Shirayuki. “What brought you to the middle of the woods anyway?”  
She felt her face turn red and looked away, “Nothing,” she said.  
“Really? You looked pretty worried, is your someone going to come pick you up?”  
“No, but I'll be fine. I really should get going though.” She moved towards the door. Zen grabbed his coat.

Shirayuki walked down a long and twisted gravel road that would lead her back to the suburbs of Tanbarun. Zen followed her, a few steps behind.  
“Why did you follow me?” Shirayuki asked, half annoyed.  
“What sort of man would I be if I didn’t ensure you made it home safe?” Zen said with a shrug.  
Shirayuki hung her head and waited in place a few seconds to let Zen catch up before she continued her walk. “Thanks,” she said just above a whisper, “for walking with me.”  
Zen smiled at her, “I’m happy to. You know, you still didn’t really give me an answer from before.”  
Shirayuki blinked, “What about?” She had genuinely forgotten his question.  
“Why you showed up on our front porch looking like you just out ran Jason.”  
She laughed nervously, “Oh- that.” She went quiet for a moment and tossed around what she might say. Finally she settled on, “It was just this creep and his friends.”  
Zen nodded like he understood, “Did they… hurt you?” Shirayuki didn’t answer. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you that.”  
“No, I’m fine, it’s just-” her thoughts were everywhere. They didn’t hurt her because she ran away before they got that chance, but there was this awful voice in her head that told her she caused a scene for no reason. Would Raj have gone that far? She felt sick.  
The two walked side by side with only the sound of gravel beneath their feet. Shirayuki’s unfinished sentence still hung in the air.  
“Whatever happened,” Zen spoke cautiously, “don’t second guess yourself.” Shirayuki looked to Zen who looked into the distance ahead of him, “You’re here and you’re safe, that’s what’s important.” He smiled and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. If it wasn’t so dark, Shirayuki might have noticed the blush on his cheeks.  
They reached the edge of the woods where the ground became paved suburban roads lined with street lights.  
“What do you do?” Zen asked.  
Shirayuki laughed and Zen raised a curious eyebrow, “Normally, people start with small talk then work their way up to serious topics.”  
“That creep took any chance we had at normalcy,” Zen laughed, “so I’m just trying to reclaim some.”  
Shirayuki looked at him with half a squint. Zen waited for her answer, patiently. “I work in a coffee shop,” she finally spoke.  
“Do you like brewing coffee?”  
“I do, “ Shirayuki said with a nod.  
Zen smiled, “Do you want to make barista-ing your career?”  
Shirayuki’s face fell. “No, actually, I want to be a pharmacist.”  
Zen laughed suddenly, “So you can deal drugs in a lab coat?” He flourished his arms to illustrate how the lab coat might flow in the wind.  
With a straight face she said, “I don't want to deal, I want to cook.” Zen stifled a laugh and moved his arms behind his back and waited patiently for Shirayuki to elaborate. “I kind of have this dream of owning a business that makes natural medicines.”  
“What do you have to do to make that happen?”  
“I've been reading herbology books for fun since I could read.” Her wistful look became pensive for a long moment then it melted into determination right before she spoke, “but I have to get a medical licence if I want to be taken seriously. People look down on natural medicine, I want to prove that it’s not only healthier, but just as effective. I'm at my limit of what I can teach myself.”  
Zen stretched his arms behind his head nonchalantly, “Does that mean you’re headed to medical school?”  
Shirayuki had imagined herself in medical school, but when it came to enrollment, she always talked herself out of it. At first it was because her grandparents became ill around the time she graduated high school. Despite their protests, she decided that she would stay home for a year and take care of them. When they passed away, it felt wrong to leave their house. Then her dad retired from the military and came back into her life… The timing was always terrible.  
Shirayuki shrugged, “Maybe.”  
Zen watched her. There was a fire in her eyes, but something held it back. “Wistal has a top tier pharmaceutical program...” Zen tilted his head and watched her.  
Shirayuki shook her head and laughed.  
Zen’s expression turned quizzical, “From what you’ve said, it sounds like you’ve been working hard towards this your entire life. Don't sell yourself short.”  
It wasn’t much, but it was one of the first times since her grandparents that someone had acknowledged her effort. She watched him with her mouth slightly agape.  
“Thank you, Zen.” she spoke softly in her shock.  
“It’s funny, if you think about how this night started and how it’s ending with a go-back-to-school pitch. It would seem that someone’s evil intentions can lead to a good outcome, even if it’s not what anyone expected.” They both laughed, but Shirayuki liked his outlook on reclaiming a bad situation.  
They walked in comfortable silence past a few yards before Shirayuki stopped in front of a small light green house with a porch swing and garden. “This is me,” She motioned to it.  
No light shone through the windows. They walked on the step stones across the yard and to the front door. Shirayuki produced a key from her pocket, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. She flicked the porch light on so that she could say good night to Zen.  
“Safe?” Zen asked with a smile.  
Shirayuki laughed. "I don't know how to thank you enough."  
"You can let me buy you a drink tomorrow night?" Shirayuki’s laugh stopped and she stared at him as a blush crossed her cheeks. Zen waved his hands in front of himself and quickly spoke, "Only if you want. It’s just that tomorrow is our last night here-"  
Shirayuki stammered slightly, "No-”.  
Zen’s face fell for a moment before he smiled again. “That’s alright. Sorry. I’m glad we met-”  
“Wait, no- I mean- Yes.” Shirayuki cut him off again, her face as red as ever while she stumbled over her words. She exhaled loudly, her breath was visible and hung for a moment while she collected her thoughts. She started again, “No, as in, don’t apologize and yes, I want to go out with you.” Zen stared at her like a flower had just sprouted from the top of her head. Shirayuki quickly looked down at her welcome mat, only to hear a sudden belt of laughter from Zen. She lifted her head, wondering if he was laughing at her.  
Zen kept up his laugh a moment longer before finally calming down enough to say, "Great!” He wiped a tear from his eye and straightened up to look at her with a genuine smile, “I'll pick you up here. Tomorrow at seven?"  
It took Shirayuki a moment to realize he’d asked her a question. She quickly nodded, “That works.”  
Zen waved at Shirayuki as he turned to leave, “Can’t wait!” Shirayuki waved too as he made his way down the path, “Goodnight, Shirayuki!” he called over his shoulder.  
“Thanks again,” She called. “Good night!”  
Shirayuki closed and locked her front door. The only light came in through the front window from the front porch light and the blinking red light of the answering machine. It sat on a coffee table by the corner window. She walked over to it and pressed the button to play the message. As the beginning of her message played she looked out the window just in time to see Zen walking down the street before he disappeared from her view. She hit the delete button on the machine and drew her curtains closed for the night.

The next night, ten minutes before seven, Shirayuki heard a knock at the door. “Coming!” she called as she strode across the living room and grabbed her purse and jacket off the couch. She opened the door to where Zen stood patiently in a dress shirt and slacks with a wool coat and scarf over top. His face lit up when he saw her. Shirayuki wore a long-sleeved, collared dress and leggings, her hair freely brushed her shoulders.  
She lifted her jacket to put on and Zen immediately stepped in to assist her. “Your hair is beautiful,” he marveled.  
“Thanks,” she flipped it out from inside of her coat, “I don’t usually get to wear it down like this.”  
“Ready to go?” he asked and offered his arm. The wind blew cold and Shirayuki gladly locked her elbow with his. 

The two walked to town together and entered a popular restaurant on main street. It was dimly lit by lamps mounted to walls and lights hanging from the ceiling. All the tables and chairs were old fashioned and mixed and matched. They gave their coats to the clerk at the door and took a seat at the bar on a couple of plush leather stools.  
They had been talking over drinks for about an hour when the restaurant door opened at the same moment Zen paused in the middle of his story to take a sip of his beer. Shirayuki unconciously flicked her eyes over to see who was entering. When she saw the group her stomach fell.  
Raj and a few of his friends walked in. They watched her the entire way to their private booth in the back of the dining room. Zen put his drink back down on the bar and gave a satisfied sigh. When he turned his attention back to Shirayuki. She looked small, with her hands in her lap and her face lowered.  
"Shirayuki? Are you okay?”  
"It's nothing.” she said and quickly sat up straight. She shook her head and tried to relax her muscles, but it still didn’t stop her stomach from the fit it was currently throwing. She wanted to get out of there, to run straight out the door. Then she heard Zen’s voice again.  
“Shirayuki?”  
She suddenly realized she had been avoiding his gaze. She looked up. His eyes were filled with concern and his body was poised on the edge of his stool, ready to jump into action. This guy barely knew her, yet was this passionate. If that energy had to do with her alone, she might have been weirded out, but she had a feeling that this was just the sort of person he is. She couldn’t help the small smile that crept into her cheeks.  
Zen relaxed slightly, but he left one of his eyebrows raised. Shirayuki didn’t want to talk about it, especially not in the place she was desperate to get out of at the moment. Somewhat embarrassed, she steadied herself and stood up from her stool, “Can we leave?"  
Zen stood with her, “You haven’t finished your first beer yet, are you sure?” he asked as he pulled a few bills from his wallet. He placed them on the counter and gave the bartender a courteous wave.  
"I’m feeling woozy, I just want to go for a walk."  
"That's fine, I’ll grab our coats." Shirayuki watched Zen walk to the back of the restaurant.  
The moment Zen was out of view, Raj emerged from his booth, a drink in his hand. Shirayuki looked away from him in a panic and tried to seem very interested in the bottles lining the shelves behind the bar. He stood in the space directly next her, when she refused to acknowledge him, he leaned into her line of sight.  
Her eyes flicked to him like twin daggers. “What?”  
He held a martini glass up between their faces. It contained a red, sweet smelling liquid and an apple slice balanced on the rim. The apple was brown on the edges like it had been sitting out. “To make up for last night,” He extended the drink to her slowly, not breaking eye contact. Out of the fear he was planning to press it to her lips she took hold of it with both hands and lowered it from her face. Raj smiled in satisfaction and flipped his bangs as he turned to head back to his private booth, disappearing from sight.

“Did you buy another drink?”  
Shirayuki had been staring so intently down at the drink in her hand that she hadn’t noticed Zen when he returned to her side. She jumped and nearly dropped the glass at the sudden call back to reality. He was already wearing his coat and was holding hers open to her, but slowly, he draped it over his arm.  
“No-” Shirayuki shook her head, trying to come up with the words to say. “-someone bought it for me.”  
Zen’s eyebrows raised in subtle surprise. After a moment he said, "That was nice of them, do you want to stay and finish it?" He glanced around, maybe looking for the gifter.  
“No.” said Shirayuki as she stared down at the red liquid. Zen watched Shirayuki bite back her lip and nodded. He took the drink from her hands. Shirayuki’s head shot up and watched as he downed the entire drink. He pulled the empty glass from his lips and set it on the counter.  
Zen smiled at her and opened her jacket to her again, “Let’s go for a walk.” tears gathered at the edges of Shirayuki’s eyes, but she quickly blinked them back and smiled at him.

Once they were out on the cold street Zen asked with worry in his voice, "Do you want to tell me what was really going on in there?"  
Shirayuki fought the impulse to say 'nothing' again. The way he looked at her told her that he wouldn't accept that as an answer for a third time. She took a long breath and finally replied, "The guy from last… walked in."  
Zen's eyes widened and he looked back over his shoulder at the bar, "Sorry, I didn't know."  
“It’s fine.” Shirayuki wrapped her arms across her chest, her pink face gave away her embarrassment, "I just wanted out of there."  
Zen put his arm around her, "I don't blame you."  
She looked up at him and he beamed down at her. Warmth spread over her and she rested her head against him as they walked. 

They made it about a block before Shirayuki felt the need to speak again, "He’s the one that bought me that drink. Raj."  
"Raj?" Zen thought out loud then, letting go of her, he suddenly shouted, "Raj Shenazard?"  
Shirayuki looked surprised, "You know him?"  
"Not in person," Zen looked like he might spit. "So that was him back there? Your mayor’s no-good son."  
Shirayuki nodded, "Even people from the next town over know about his reputation?"  
"He’s infamous on campus… Apparently the rumors are true if he sent to running through the forest like you did last night.”  
Shirayuki felt herself begin to shrink up but she fought back the urge, “I’m not surprised he ordered me an appletini.”  
“Why, because it’s red like you?” asked Zen with a laugh.  
“More like, I pegged him for having a horrible taste in drinks.” The corner of Zen’s mouth twitched and his brow shot up as he looked at Shirayuki with pleasent surprise. “My grandparents owned a bar.” She said with a humble shrug, “By the way, you downed that pretty quick.”  
“Well, it wasn’t really about the drink-”  
"Downing drinks?" Kiki’s voice was filled with amusement. Shirayuki and Zen turned to see her and Mitsuhide come up from behind them. “Hope your date didn’t get that crazy.”  
“It was one drink-” Zen said with some annoyance in his voice.  
Shirayuki smiled and waved at the two as they stood to join them.“Someone bought me an appletini.” Shirayuki explained.  
Mitsuhide put his hands in his pockets and looked at Zen, "So you drank the appletini some else gave to Shirayuki? You're so impolite."  
Zen made a move like he was about to square up to Mitsuhide, but before he could say anything, he wobbled horribly.  
"Looks like you had one too many." Mitsuhide teased and the girls laughed.  
"No,” Zen swayed from one foot to the other, “I think- there was something in that drink."  
The laughter died immediately.  
Zen fell to his knees and nearly toppled over, but Mitsuhide was able to catch his head before it cracked on the pavement. Mitsuhide cradled him in his arms and called his name, but Zen’s eyes rolled into the back of head. Kiki and Shirayuki knelt down next to them in an instant. They shouted Zen's name and shook his limp shoulders.  
“Looks like little red didn't drink it after all."  
Shirayuki, Kiki, and Mitsuhide looked up to see that they were surrounded by a group of men. Raj stepped into the center of the circle with Shirayuki and the others.  
"You're friend isn't looking too good, you should probably take him to the hospital,” His cronies chuckled, Raj continued, ”because if you stick around here I can't guarantee that he'll make it there in one piece." knuckles were cracked to accentuate his point. Raj closed the gap between himself and Shirayuki, "I'll make sure the little red gets home safe.”  
Mitsuhide and Kiki practically growled at him. They were ready to fight no matter how outnumbered they were. Yet, as Shirayuki watched the goons move in closer to Mitsuhide and Kiki and Zen's unconscious body she felt horrible guilt. “This wasn't their fight,” she thought, “This happened because I inserted myself into their lives. I can stop it.”  
"Okay." Shirayuki spoke before she could fully think it through. Everyone froze and looked at her, "I'll go with you, just let them take Zen to the hospital."  
“Shirayuki,” Kiki chastised.  
“We aren't leaving you with him," said Mitsuhide sternly.  
“I'll be okay," She smiled at them to prove it. "Get Zen help."  
Raj slipped his arm over her shoulder, “Glad you see it my way."  
He lead her away. She craned her neck and watched Kiki and Mitsuhide lift Zen up between them and shuffle off in the opposite direction. The goons stood between the two parties and waited for enough distance to grow before slowly walking off in the direction Raj and Shirayuki had headed. Aside from the cronies following from a block behind, she was alone with Raj.  
He lead her to his sports car where he opened the door for her. She glared at him before she slid in. He shut the door then came around and got in the driver's seat. The second he was in Shirayuki tried to reopen her door to make a break for it, it didn’t budge. She hit the unlock button, but it didn't do anything. Raj sat and watched with a satisfied grin. "Sorry, that lock doesn't seem to be working."  
"You're such a creep," she snarled.  
All amusement left Raj’s face, "You should really watch who you say that to."  
Icy fear crept up Shirayuki's back and she suddenly realized how vulnerable her current position was. He was capable of anything. He could do whatever he liked to her and worst of all his father would find a way to sweep it all under the rug.  
"What do you want?" She asked carefully.  
Raj chuckled, "You know what I want." Shirayuki shivered. He leaned in close and continued, "The question is, what do you want?" Shirayuki stared silently at him. "If you make me happy, I could make sure you never have to work so long as you're with me, how does that sound?"  
"That doesn't appeal to me," she said flatly. His face fell.  
“Why is he doing this? Does he want me to want him, because he bought me things and offered to make my every dream come true?” Her mind raced for an answer, then, she found her’s.  
"I don't want anything from you." They glared at each other for a long time then Shirayuki looked away. “Can’t you just, give me up?"  
Raj considered this, "I might, but you'll have humiliated me. Think about tonight, what happened to your friend. I can't promise something like that won't happen again."  
Shirayuki shook her head, she didn't want to believe it. "You can't get away with this."  
Raj tilted his head to the side and pouted, "You know that's not true."  
She her head turned to him in disbelief, her eyes wide and on the brink of tears. Raj reached his hand out to stroke her face, "C'mon, don't be like this. Every girl has a price." The second his fingers brushed her cheek, she slapped them away. Raj drew back his hand and looked at Shirayuki, stunned. She could feel rage boiling inside of her. This situation was going to run its course with or without her say, she couldn’t lose herself too. She took a calm, controlled breath.  
"Fine,” She turned her head to let him see her face. “I'll let you do whatever you want to me, but you should know what you’re getting.”  
Raj’s stunned expression hadn’t quite worn off when suddenly there was a racket from outside. Someone shouted, then the whole car shook. Shirayuki looked behind herself to see a guys bloody face slide down the rear window of the car. Behind him, Zen was about to face off with his next opponent, the streetlight revealed his enraged face. Mitsuhide and Kiki double teamed their own crony even further down the road.  
Zen kicked his guy to the front of the car. By the time he got back to his feet Zen was already at his side. Zen grabbed him by the shirt and threw him onto the car’s hood. The thud caused Raj to squeal while Shirayuki sat amazed.  
When that crony rolled off the hood and hightailed it up the street, Zen walked casually over to the driver’s window. He smiled politely and motioned for Raj to lower his window. Teeth gritted together Raj shakily complied.  
"Hey, Shirayuki!" Zen beamed like he didn't just wake up from a coma and throw two guys around like wet noodles.  
"Zen! How are you-" She was going to say standing, but he cut her off.  
"I should be asking you that, are you alright?"  
She breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm fine."  
"That's good, how about getting out of the car?"  
"I would, but it's locked." She pulled on her car door to demonstrate.  
Zen turned his still smiling face to Raj and asked, "Mind unlocking that for her, pal?" Raj squeaked and unlocked the car. Shirayuki jumped out and ran around to Zen's side. He smiled at her then opened the driver’s door, grabbed Raj's collar, and pulled him out.  
Raj sputtered and waved his hands around "Y-you're the man who had that drink. I am so sorry about that. It was really unfortunate-"  
"You drugged Shirayuki's drink."  
Zen allowed Raj to pull himself from his grip, "Be careful of who you're accusing! Do you have any idea who my father is?"  
"You're Raj Shenazard, son of the mayor of Tanbarun." Zen said plainly.  
Raj's eyebrows twitched before he shouted. "Who do you think you are!?"  
"I'm sorry for not introducing myself sooner, my name is Zen Wistalia."  
"Wis-Wistalia?” Raj sputtered throwing his arms out in front of himself, “As in, the Wistalias?" With his mouth wide, his hands flew to his head and laced his fingers in his hair.  
Shirayuki was surprised as well. "Are you hallucinating? It's the drugs, isn't it?!"  
Zen smiled at Shirayuki, "It's annoying that I have to tell you like this, but I think it's important for Raj to understand his predicament."  
Raj sputtered, “What do you mean?”  
Zen stared daggers at Raj who sprawled himself against the side of the car. “You’re father might be able to cover up your scandals with these poor girls whom nobody believes anyway, but I would love to see him try to keep me quiet.”  
Raj gulped.  
"So, if you plan to keep what happened tonight a secret: don't talk to Shirayuki, don't come near her, don't even say her name."  
"How do you know Shirayu-" Zen took hold of Raj’s collar again. Raj snapped his mouth shut, satisfied, Zen released him. Raj’s legs gave out and he crumpled to the floor. Zen turned back to Shirayuki.  
"You're not going to be seeing this idiot again, so if you have anything you want to tell him-" Zen fanned his arm out in an he's-all-yours fashion and took a step back.  
Raj looked so pathetic as he cowered in front of her now. He was nothing without his cronies' back up and his father's influence. She kneeled in front of him and looked him in the eyes. "Do you have any women in your life? A mom? A sister?" Raj nodded nervously. "Next time you try to do to another girl what you tried to do to me, think about them. Now, get out of here."  
She stood and returned to Zen's side. They watched Raj crawl into his car and drive away. Kiki and Mitsuhide came to meet the couple. "Are you alright, Shirayuki?" asked Kiki, "We shouldn't have left you alone."  
"We were almost to the hospital when Zen came to,” Mitsuhide explained, “and he refused to see a doctor before we came back for you.”  
"Zen," Shirayuki scolded, "you need to get to a doctor."  
Zen was about to protest, but he wobbled on his feet. Mitsuhide steadied him, "Yeah, okay,” he agreed with a smile that quickly became a grimace.

Shirayuki waited in the emergency room lobby with Mitsuhide and Kiki until Zen was released. Mitsuhide had offered to walk her home as well as to drop Kiki off at the lake house, but they both refused. It was nearly midnight when Zen finally came out.  
"You going to be okay?" Mitsuhide asked.  
"Yeah. It was some weak drug, it's already out of my system." Zen answered as the four exited the building. Aside from the tiredness in his eyes, Shirayuki thought he looked better, but then she noticed his bandaged hands.  
"I'm sorry." She said  
"Why? It's that creep, Raj, that should be sorry. You didn't do anything."  
"It's my fault you got involved, though." She tried to argue.  
Zen shook his head. "I asked you out, I drank the drug, I came running back when you told Mitsuhide and Kiki to get me out of there." He stopped and looked Shirayuki directly in the eyes. Mitsuhide and Kiki stopped a couple paces ahead and looked back. "None of this was your fault," Zen said gently. He searched her face, "Do you believe me?"  
Shirayuki felt her eyes begin to tear up again, but she blinked them back and with a shaky voice replied, "I believe you."  
“I’m sorry my date with you went this wrong, we should try again sometime.” Zen smiled and turned on his heel to continue their walk. Shirayuki wanted to say it wasn’t that bad, but they were walking away from a hospital. "Let's change the subject,” Zen said suddenly, like he could read her thoughts, “You want to be a pharmacist, right?"  
"Yeah," Shirayuki said as she tried to discreetly wipe away an escaped tear.  
"Wistal’s pharmaceutical program-"  
"Zen, I don't want handouts."  
Zen just laughed and put his hands up, "I'm just telling you they’re last entrance exam for the Spring is coming up. If you get in, it will be because of your own merit. Even if I had the power to enroll you, which I don’t, you’d never accept being let in that way.”  
Shirayuki blushed, she should have known he'd be so noble.  
“I’m just suggesting Wistal because it’s closest,” He coughed suddenly, “-and it’s the best.” Mitsuhide sighed and Zen cleared his throat. “But you seem like you were good in school, you could probably go anywhere you wanted. Just something to think about." He shrugged. Shirayuki fell a step behind and watched her feet as they all walked her home.  
Anywhere. The word rang through Shirayuki's mind. She’s put off her future for so long for one reason or another. Now the world was opened up before her and she wasn't trapped by Raj, her fate, anyone, or anything. What happened next was her choice.  
She looked up to see Zen's shoulders bobbing as he joked and talked with Mitsuhide and Kiki.  
Anywhere was a possibility, but she knew, right now, she wanted to follow him.


End file.
